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What assessments does my child need to take?

I am holding off on the rest of the assessments until the first week of school. The purpose of LEAP week was to get as many done as possible because it takes up so much instructional time.

What school supplies does my child need?

• notebook paper
• pencils
• crayons (optional)
• headphones (optional)
• a designated working area that is quiet and free of distractions
• desk or table

*A note about the headphones- If you have more than one child, they will need to be in separate rooms or really far apart. Otherwise we will get feedback.

Can you explain all these usernames, student ID numbers, and passwords?

Every student is issued a username and password for devices. It is tied to their Microsoft Office 365 account. The username will be their last name and their first name and sometimes a number. For example, George Washington could be WashingtonG34. The password is always a combination of 5 letters and/or numbers.

Student ID numbers are what my students typically call their lunchroom numbers because they previously had to type them into the computer to get a lunch. This number is sometimes used in some programs as a username. Mastery Connect is an example. 

Another password that is often used is their 8 digit birthday using the format MMDDYYYY. Clever, Math Inventory (MI) and Reading Inventory (RI) use this as passwords.

What platform is my child using for virtual instruction? 

To (try to) simply things, all Aiken innovate students will use Microsoft Teams and Schoology. There may be a few other programs that teachers use, such as Raz-Kids or Epic! Reading, but all classwork will be submitted through Schoology or Teams.

Do they access the online class from your school website?

No. I am using my school website only as a way to communicate with parents until school starts. After that, all communication will be through Schoology and Microsoft Teams.

Are you using Class Dojo?

No. I don't want it to be "one more app" that parents have to keep up with. I know that a lot of teachers and parents use it at Warrenville, but I wasn't sure if parents from East Aiken were familiar with it.

Does my child need to log into Clever?

Not at this point.

Can you explain what Microsoft Teams and Schoology is? Why do they need both? What are they going to be used for?

I will use Microsoft Teams for live instruction. It is similar to Zoom, but has a lot more capabilities. It's the "camera part" of the instruction. 

Schoology is a learning management system. Students will access their assignments from here. This is also where they will submit all of their assignments. You will receive (or hopefully have already received) parent access codes. You can use this to see all of their coursework and grades.

If you have not already, check out the Aiken Innovate webpage on the district website. It has a video of students and teachers using Teams and Schoology. I think it will give you a better idea of what instruction will look like.

I received an email that said the tech team is resetting all student passwords for Schoology.  Once it is complete account information will be emailed to Ai families. A time frame wasn't mentioned. 

Your child will also use the same username and password to log into a school issued laptop. Please see the previous post for instructions.

I am still working on getting access codes for Schoology. 

Next Monday, all students should log into Microsoft Teams at 7:30. This is the platform that we will use to conduct live lessons. Please view  before Monday. It will explain how to log into Teams and provide some basic information. Their email address is username@student.acpsd.net. For example, if their username is JonesR3, their email address will be JonesR3@student.acpsd.net.

Once you have received an email from the district with your child's user names and passwords (hopefully it will come very soon!!), please follow the directions in the video to log into Teams. I suggest downloading the app so that their format will look the same as mine.

I plan to host a quick Teams meeting tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday at 1:00 to practice logging in, navigating Teams, and troubleshooting. It is optional. However, I highly suggest making sure that your child knows how to access Teams and that the camera and mic works before Monday morning.

Stay tuned for more information!

Thank you for taking the time to visit my classroom last week and allow me to get to know your child. I will post information here until we are able to communicate through Schoology.

Student log in information with passwords (Schoology, Office 365, etc) will be going out via email this coming week. The address for Schoology is . Once you have the log-in information, please log in to make sure that you can access it. You should receive parent and student access codes.

Laptop/hotspot distribution for families who requested assistance will happen on Thursday, August 27th at high schools based on feeder patterns.  An email was sent to each student who requested a laptop/hotspot letting you know when and where to pick up their technology.  If you did not request technology assistance but need it now, email powerschool@acpsd.net or Michelle Everhart.  Include the student's name, student ID, grade level, home school, and what technology is needed (laptop and/or hotspot).  

If you have not already, please start thinking about where your child will set up his or her device. They will need a table or desk in a quiet area without any interruptions (cats on keyboards, adults talking, younger siblings, TV, etc). Be mindful of what can be seen in the background.

Students should follow the same dress codes as during school. 

They may enjoy snacks when they are working independently and devices are put away. We don't want to hear them smacking or get greasy keyboards. :)

That's all I can think of for now! Please bookmark this page and check daily for updates. Thanks!